ListProc is an automated information distribution and retrieval system for electronic mailing lists and file archives. ListProc is intended to be easy to maintain, support and use. It can also be integrated with other data retrieval and presentation tools such as gopher, anonymous ftp, http, and WAIS.

Email discussion lists are an effective way of allowing groups of people to communicate with one another. The most elementary form of an automated mailing list is an MTA reflector. This simply takes all messages coming in to a certain address and bounces them to each member of an alias list. This can work well for small distribution lists in which mailing errors are relatively unlikely and there is no need for more advanced features.

Unfortunately, this simple scheme does not work well for larger and more complicated distribution lists. As lists grow in size, the time required to add and remove subscribers and to deal with mail problems can be tremendous. Additionally, it is often desirable to control who can and cannot post to the list, as well as to monitor list postings prior to distribution.

Basic tasks required for successful list management can be classified into three main categories:

Approval of list subscriptions

Moderation of list postings

Error mail

ListProc handles each of these tasks expertly and enables you to set each task to either automatic processing or manual (human) control. ListProc offers a number of options that control how the automatic processing can proceed, and in the case of manual control allows you the flexibility to assign each of these list management tasks to a different person.

As outlined above, ListProc provides a powerful and flexible mechanism for addressing a wide variety of email distribution needs